2B - Thursday, October 28, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
JudgingA Book
By Its Cover
Why read a single page when the cover
tells the whole story?
EPISODE REVIEW
For the past few seasons, it seems
that "Weeds" has gone from origi-
nal storylines
to plots that
are just plain
crazy. In its Weeds
most recent
episode, which
takes place "Dearborn-Again"
in Dearborn, Showtime
Michigan, this
craziness has
reached a point of no return.
The main source of this madness
comes from the over-the-top nar-
rative that tries too hard to push
the limits that the show already
has pushed many times before.
The Botwin family started off as
a middle-class family whose mom
sold drugs to maintain their com-
fortable lifestyle - a unique twist
on the idealized middle-Ameri-
can family. But now, the family
is on the run from Nancy's (Mary
Louise-Parker) drug-lord ex-hus-
band, with whom she had a child,
because her other son Shane (Alex-
ander Gould) killed someone in his
posse. This has led them to Nancy's
hometown of Dearborn in order
to procure passports so they can
flee the country. Nancy has done a
complete 180 from the likeable and
relatable mom who just wanted to
make sure her kids were happy to a
manic, self-loathing drug dealer no
one can stand.
To make matters worse, the set
doesn't even attempt to look like
anything resembling Dearborn.
There are palm trees everywhere
and it seems to be sunny the entire
time, just like Los Angeles. The only
thing that's supposed to separate
L.A. from Dearborn is the abun-
dance of stereotypical Middle East-
ern people. Plus, the offensive jokes
about Muslims aren't even funny.
"Weeds" makes it seem like every0
single Muslim in Dearborn is a con-
niving thief. Looks like the offensive
jokes were all the "shocking" mate-
rial the program could come up with
this time.
-LINDSAYHURD
TRAILER REVIEW
Flynn Meaney msay be new to
the teen novel scene, but he's read
his "Twilight" books. And Edwin
Mullen, the heart-shaped protago-
i:st of Meaney's bestselling vamp-
romance "Bloodthirsty," may be
new to the lonely town of Phorx,
but he has also read his "T wilight"
books. And so, when the beautiful
but aloof Ella appears in his biol-
ogy class one day, Edwin knows all
the right moves.
After a quick trip to the local
Spirit store, our hero gets into the
groove with a ness set of pointy
canines, a face fill of porcelain-
tinted foundation and some glitter
to apply when the sun comes out,
And before you can say "rip-off,"
Edwin is the newest and toothiest
heartthrob in Phorx, effortlessly
winningsover Ella as well as hordes
of young readers everywhere.
But how to keep up the fagade
of being a super-human sex sym-
bol when you've a way-too-curious
moody girlfriend poking around?
Mullen is good of heart and true
of blood, but he soon finds out it's
hard to fake extreme speed and
agility, and it gets tough for him
to muster map the strength to resist
Ella's advances because of his sup-
posed vampiric urge to bite - the
poor guy only wants to get laid.
What to do? Edwin's back hurts
from carrying Ella up the sides
of trees, but he can't give up his
newfound popularity or his true
love. Will Edwin tell Ella the truth
about his identity? Will she still be
with him, even knowing he's not
a real vampire? Behind the heart-
shaped fanged smiley face lies the
answer. -
-SH ARON JACOBS
Bieber Fever will never die,
people. Never. Die. This pre-
pubescent
demon spawn :( ( ( ( (
is unstoppable.
He's a media- Never Say
saturation Never
monster hell-
bent on world Waster Bros.
domination.
And just in time for Hallow-
een, the darkest fiery pits of the
underworld have unleashed a
trailer for the unholy documen-
tary monstrosity known to mere
mortals as "Never Say Never," in
terrible, expensive 3-D.
What more can be said about
this upcoming "film," whose
prophecy was foretold by sooth-
sayers hundreds of years ago?
How must we convince the
unsuspecting public to snap up
their torches and pitchforks
and take to the streets, mob-of-
angry-villagers style? Who will
be entertained by 90 minutes of
Bieberized home videos inter-
spliced with cult-brainwashing
concert footage and interviews
4
GET YOUR
SENIOR PORTRAIT
TAKEN
Monday 10/25 - Friday 10/29
in the Sophia B. Jones room
of the Michigan Union
The sitting fee is just1S!
This price includes your portraitfeatured in
the 2011 Michignensian Yearbook
Sign up online by visiting www.OurYear.com
and entering School Code: 87156
Phone 734.418.4115 ext. 247
E-mail ensian.uma)umich.edu
C Bring in this ad and receive $2 off the sitting fee.
?OFFER
Michiganensian
YEARBOOK
with fawning teenage girls? Why Almighty Hand of Usher? mond mines.
does this trailer imply that there Justin Bieber will enslave your Look at what you all have
was somehow a large amount youth and murder your pets. wrought upon humankind. Look
of hardship for His Bieberness When he elects himself president into his dreamy 3-D eyes, and
to overcome, when in truth he of the world, he will command us weep for all eternity.
was prenatally blessed by the to toil for long hours in his dia- -ANDREWLAPIN
Halloween Staff Picks
* "NEAR DARK"
Vampires, despite all recent pop-culture evidence to the contrary, don't suck. Matter of
fact, they're pretty damn freaky when handled in the right way. Take Kathryn Bigelow's *
1987 cult classic, in which bloodsuckers trek across the American southwest. No pretty-
boy whining here: This vamp clan would prefer to knife up their prey before feasting on the
sweet nectar of someone else's flesh. Ideally watched, you guessed it, near dark.
* "THE TWILIGHT ZONE"
There's never a better time than Halloween to revert back into the Golden Age of television
with Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone." The eerie sci-fi series showcases the best TV writ-
ing of the decade and expertly flirts with the line between truly horrifying and hilariously
cheesy. Time travel, aliens, monsters and Serling's ever-creepy voice will make for an epic
Halloween weekend TV marathon.
* "THRILLER"
Well, duh. "Thriller" is bound up in Halloween
just as "Jingle Bells" is to Christmas; something
about the track's creaking doors, howling
wolves and weird Vincent Price narration cap-
tures the spirit of All Hallow's Eve better than
all the candy in the world. Spooky theatrics
notwithstanding, "Thriller" finds Michael at the
apex of his game; the way he rides that indel-
ible bassline is one of pop's greatest moments.
"Monster Mash" should be embarrassed. COURTESY OF EPIC
* "SWEENEY TODD" (THE MUSICAL)
Before Johnny Depp ever picked up his silver razors, "Sweeney Todd" took Broadway by
storm - a morbid, brooding, cannibalistic storm. The titular barber's dementia dominates
the stage, and the broadway production allows for an entire chorus to balladize his dark
struggle for revenge. As one of the greatest works by one of Broadway's greatest minds,
Stephen Sondheim, "Sweeney" is the ultimate horror musical.
0 SALEM
Want to celebrate All Hallow's Eve in a totally inaccessible, pretentious and hipster-to-the-
max fashion? Then check out Salem, the trendy new "witch house" band whose LP King
Night earned a7.5 on Pitchfork earlier this month. The aloof ambient sounds that drift
through the synths and mumbles are designed to weird you out, and rest assured you'll
be shivering behind your neon shades and hugging a can of PBR for comfort.